Vacuum cleaners are usually of the upright or cylinder type. Cylinder cleaners consist of a main body containing a motor and fan unit for drawing an airflow into the main body and separating apparatus for extracting dirt and dust from the airflow and retaining it for disposal. The separating apparatus can be a cyclonic arrangement, bags or filters or a combination of these. A hose and wand assembly is connected to the inlet of the main body and an accessory in the form of a floor tool having a suction opening is attached to the end of the wand remote from the main body so that the suction opening can be manoeuvred across the surface to be cleaned by the user. Upright cleaners commonly have a cleaner head permanently attached to the main body of the vacuum cleaner which is manoeuvred, together with the main body, across the surface to be cleaned. However, many upright cleaners can also be operated in the manner of a cylinder machine by having a removable or releasable hose and wand assembly provided to which an accessory such as a floor tool can be attached.
In this context, therefore, the term “accessory” is used to mean a tool which can be attached to a hose and wand assembly forming part of a vacuum cleaner, whether the vacuum cleaner is an upright machine or a cylinder machine, for the purpose of cleaning a floor or other surface. The term is also intended to include accessories which can be used with other cleaning appliances such as steam cleaners, floor polishers and the like.
Many known floor tools consist of a head having a housing which defines a downward-facing suction opening and a neck which is connectable to the wand of the hose and wand assembly of the cleaner with which the floor tool is to be used. Whilst the neck is rotatably connected to the head to accommodate changes in the position of the wand relative to the head during normal use, the wheel arrangement which allows the head to be manoeuvred across the surface is carried by the head. The floor tool thus has no steering capability and so can be awkward to manoeuvre around obstacles located on the surface to be cleaned such as furniture.